Season’s greetings one and all. It is a mere 27 days since Mario Gotze volleyed Germany to World Cup glory in the Maracana and, without us really noticing it had gone, competitive football is back once more.

After such a vintage World Cup, packed with unforgettable games, goals and performances, the 2014-2015 campaign really has quite a lot to live up to.

We have another few days until the Barclays Premier League gets up and running but the Football League will be in full swing this weekend as regular action returns to stadiums up and down the land.

And talking of regular fixtures, Sportsmail’s weekly guide to the most exciting action is back. So here we go...

Arsenal vs Manchester City, FA Community Shield, Sunday 3pm

Live on BT Sport 1 and highlights on BBC One at 10.25pm

The sure-fire sign that the pre-season phoney war has finished and the real, meaningful action is here again is the FA Community Shield. While the Wembley curtain-raiser is a glorified friendly, it is usually a chance for one of the big guns to strike an early blow in the long physical and psychological battle that is the Premier League title race.

Both Arsenal, the FA Cup winners, and Manchester City, the defending champions, will expect to be in the mix come May and their fans can be satisfied with how pre-season has gone.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Sanchez and Sanogo link up during training

The ones to beat: Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany lifts the Barclays Premier League trophy back in May. They take part in the annual FA Community Shield curtain-raiser against Arsenal on Sunday

Drought is over: Arsenal ended a nine-year wait for a trophy when they beat Hull City 3-2 to win the FA Cup

False dawn: Manchester United beat Wigan to lift the FA Community Shield last season but it was to be the only piece of silverware David Moyes would win at Old Trafford

City, by their spending standards, have been quiet over the summer and Manuel Pellegrini is obviously satisfied with a squad that was quite clearly the league’s strongest as they smashed their way to a second title in three seasons last term.

Pellegrini could probably field two XIs that would hold their own in the top flight and, as their 102 league goals last year proved, there is plenty of firepower at the Chilean’s disposal.

Bacary Sagna’s free switch from Arsenal has added strength at right-back, Willy Caballero will challenge Joe Hart for the gloves and the commanding Brazilian Fernando will add depth to the midfield. They will also have all the experience of Frank Lampard for the first half of the season.

Head-to-head: Arsene Wenger (left) will go up against Manuel Pellegrini (right) in what is seen as a litmus test as to whether Arsenal can stand the pace in the Premier League this season

Loan ranger: Man City will have the services of former Chelsea star Frank Lampard for six months

Change of colours: Bacary Sagna has joined Man City from Arsenal over the summer

After being unable to stand the pace in the title race having led for a good chunk of the season, Arsenal did at least end their trophy drought by lifting the FA Cup back in May.

Arsene Wenger has also done excellently in the transfer market, with the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona a real coup and crowd-pleaser who should live up to his £30m price tag.

Sagna has been ably replaced by Mathieu Debuchy, David Ospina will offer competition for Wojciech Szczesny and Calum Chambers is an exciting long-term prospect.

They do look a stronger and more attractive proposition and Sunday will offer the first litmus test as to whether they can stand the Premier League heat.

New favourite: £30m signing from Barcelona Alexis Sanchez poses with Arsenal fans at the Emirates Cup

New home: Arsenal also bought Calum Chambers from Southampton for £12m

VIDEO Chambers aims to emulate ex-Saints stars

Brentford vs Charlton Athletic, Sky Bet Championship, Saturday 3pm

It was the 1992-1993 season, as football was just embarking on its brave new era, when Brentford last played in the second tier.

But after a memorable campaign in which they finished eight points clear in the second promotion spot and produced an eye-pleasing brand of fluid football which entertained many, they are back again.

Conscious of the sizeable step-up between League One and the Championship, boss Mark Warburton has brought in Rochdale’s Scott Hogan and Luton’s Andre Gray, players who scored 19 and 30 goals respectively last season.

Record signing: Brentford shelled out over £1m for Leyton Orient's Moses Odubajo (right)

Sharp-shooter: Brentford have also sharpened their attack by signing Luton's Andre Gray, whose 30 goals last season helped them back into the Football League

Optimistic: Bees boss Mark Warburton is determined to continue the free-flowing football from last season

CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES

FRIDAY

Blackburn Rovers vs Cardiff City 7.45pm

SATURDAY (3pm unless stated)

Brentford vs Charlton

Brighton vs Sheffield Wednesday

Derby County vs Rotherham

Huddersfield vs Bournemouth

Middlesbrough vs Birmingham

Millwall vs Leeds United

Nottingham Forest vs Blackpool

Watford vs Bolton

Wigan Athletic vs Reading

Ipswich Town vs Fulham 5.15pm

SUNDAY

Wolves vs Norwich City 4pm

But the most notable addition is Leyton Orient’s star man Moses Odubajo, from whom a club record transfer fee of just over £1m was paid.

They have also secured the services of Tottenham’s Alex Pritchard on a season-long loan after he impressed at Swindon last term.

These signings must compensate for the departure of last season’s 18-goal top scorer Clayton Donaldson, who turned down Brentford’s offer of a new contract to join Birmingham.

With Warburton again promising to field an attacking 4-3-3 system with players shifting positions up front, it should be an entertaining season once again for the patrons of Griffin Park.

And what better way to begin than with a London derby with Charlton Athletic, which is an all-ticket affair.

With Jose Riga, who saved the club from relegation last season, departing for the not-so-quiet life at Blackpool, it is down to 40-year-old coach Bob Peeters to lead them.

A former striker who won 13 caps for Belgium, Peeters was the favoured choice of owner Roland Duchatelet.

Into the Valley: 40-year-old Belgian Bob Peeters has been appointed manager of Charlton Athletic

Nottingham Forest vs Blackpool, Sky Bet Championship, Saturday 3pm

Stuart Pearce hasn’t even taken charge of a competitive match at Nottingham Forest and already he’s at loggerheads with the club’s owner.

An unseemly row erupted this week when Pearce claimed Fawaz al-Hasawi had sold two players, Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow, to Newcastle United without his consent.

Though the sale has brought in about £7million and the pair will spend the season back at the City Ground on loan, it has created a fault line before the former club favourite has even got started.

Loggerheads: Stuart Pearce and Nottingham Forest owner Fawaz al-Hasawi have clashed over the sale of Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow to Newcastle for a combined £7m

Sold: Forest's England youth international Jamaal Lascelles, 20, held down a first team place last season

Stopper: Karl Darlow, 23, was Forest's first-choice goalkeeper in the Championship last season

‘The manager and I openly discussed the proposed sale of Karl and Jamaal and he was aware of the negotiations throughout,’ said al-Hasawi.

‘Two players were sold against my will,’ countered Pearce.

But their troubles are frankly nothing compared to the sorry state of affairs at Saturday’s opponents, Blackpool.

Just last weekend, when they hosted Burnley in their last friendly, nine trialists were named in the squad as Jose Riga scrambled around to field a full team.

There were again protests outside the ground against hated owner Karl Oyston and the manager was not permitted to speak and offer any kind of optimism either before or after the game.

Though a flurry of transfer activity this week means Blackpool will at least be able to send out a full team at Forest - and even that looked unlikely at one stage - you do fear they are going to be the league’s whipping boys.

Unrest: Fans protest against Karl Oyston's ownership of Blackpool before their friendly with Burnley last week

Unenviable task: Jose Riga faces the challenge of trying to keep Blackpool in the Championship with a shoestring squad this season

They have entered the division by opposite ends but the size of these two clubs make it the choice Championship match of the weekend.

Nobody could deny that Wolves were deserved League One champions last season, timing their run of form to perfection after Christmas to blow away their London rivals Brentford and Orient and return to the second tier at the first attempt.

Despite last season’s success, manager Kenny Jackett hasn’t been afraid to axe some of the more experienced - and higher earning - members of his squad.

On the up: Kenny Jackett led Wolves to the League One title last season but has been ruthless in culling some of the more experience names as they prepare for life back in the second tier

Days are numbered: Jamie O'Hara is one of those who could be moved out of Molineux

The ruthless approach that saw the likes of Kevin Doyle, Jamie O’Hara, Roger Johnson and others training separately as they look for new clubs will save about £7m but will the younger players he plans to promote at Molineux replace their experience?

There are a few who believe Wolves can emulate Norwich in 2011 and Southampton in 2012 by gaining back-to-back promotions.

After dropping down from the Premier League, Norwich expected to lose a few key assets. Robert Snodgrass went to Hull for £7m, while Ricky van Wolfswinkel has been loaned out to Saint-Etienne to try and rediscover his scoring touch after just one goal in 27 Premier League appearances.

Despite Neil Adams anticipating a surge of interest in Leroy Fer, who helped Holland to third place at the World Cup, no offers have yet been accepted.

As a result, Norwich are among the favourites to make a quick return to the top flight and they should certainly be there or thereabouts.

Sold: Norwich let Robert Snodgrass move to Hull City for £7m

Dutch delight: Norwich are expecting a surge of interest in Holland midfielder Leroy Fer, seen here scoring against Chile in the group phase of the World Cup

After their ridiculous season of two halves last year, which saw them flirt with relegation only to end up seventh and reach the FA Cup semi-final, Sheffield United once again start as one of the favourites.

They are set to embark on their fourth season in League One and the Blades have not been able to spring back quickly like some of the other big names who have tumbled down to the third tier.

Leeds and Forest, for example, spent three seasons here; Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton two, and Wolves just one before scrambling back up.

Rollercoaster season: Sheffield United flirted with relegation in League One last season before ultimately finishing seventh and reaching an FA Cup semi-final with Hull City (pictured)

Fan's favourite: Harry Maguire, who was in the League One team of the year, has moved to Hull

Nigel Clough has reduced the average age of the team though favourite Harry Maguire, 21, who made the division’s team of the year last season, has reluctantly been sold to Hull.

The Blades brought in striker Michael Higdon this week - the former Motherwell man scored 14 time for NEC Nijmegen last term but couldn’t prevent their relegation from the Eredivisie.

Bristol City are embarking on their second season back at this level and had a scare when they found themselves in the relegation places last winter.

But things picked up when Steve Cotterill took charge in December and if they can keep hold of League One top scorer Sam Baldock (26 goals in 54 games in all competitions), who has been the subject of interest from Brighton, they should mount a challenge.

Main man: Bristol City need to hang on to 26-goal Sam Baldock to mount a promotion challenge

Leyton Orient vs Chesterfield, Sky Bet League One, Saturday 3pm

You do wonder how the drama of the 2013-2014 campaign has affected Orient. Leading the way from the outset in League One, they ultimately had to settle for the play-offs where, despite reaching Wembley, they blew a two-goal lead to lose to Rotherham on penalties.

It’s been all-change behind the scenes at Brisbane Road as Barry Hearn, who had been at the helm since the 1994-1995 season, sold his stake in the club to Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti.

And there have been comings and goings in Russell Slade’s squad too. Though Moses Odubajo has swapped east London for west and Brentford, Slade has been backed to build a team packed with Championship experience and they look stronger for it.

LEAGUE ONE FIXTURES

SATURDAY (3pm unless stated)

Sheffield United vs Bristol City 12.15pm

Barnsley vs Crawley Town

Bradford City vs Coventry City

Colchester United vs Oldham Athletic

Fleetwood Town vs Crewe Alexandra

Leyton Orient vs Chesterfield

MK Dons vs Gillingham

Port Vale vs Walsall

Preston North End vs Notts County

Rochdale vs Peterborough United

Swindon Town vs Scunthorpe United

Yeovil Town vs Doncaster Rovers

New boss: Francesco Becchetti has taken over from Barry Hearn as Leyton Orient supremo

Massive blow: Orient players on the pitch after throwing away a two-goal lead in the play-off final

Incoming are Adam Legzdins from Derby, Bradley Pritchard from Charlton, Gary Woods from Watford, Shane Lowry from Millwall, Jobi McAnuff from Reading, Darius Henderson from Forest and Arsenal product Jay Simpson from Buriram United in Thailand.

Chesterfield were League Two champions last season, winning an exciting three-way race against Scunthorpe and Rochdale.

They have suffered a few frustrations in the transfer market over the summer but Paul Cook will hope to harness the winning momentum of last season and keep them at the third level.

Cambridge United vs Plymouth Argyle, Sky Bet League Two, Saturday 3pm

It was on May 7, 2005 that the Abbey Stadium last hosted a Football League match, a dreary 0-0 draw with Notts County that formalised Cambridge United's demotion into the non-league.

In the nine ensuing years, U's fans have endured the heartache of two Conference play-off final losses before making it third time lucky when they beat Gateshead at Wembley back in May.

Back in the League: Cambridge United celebrate beating Gateshead to win the Conference play-off final back in May, sealing their return to the Football League after nine years away

It's back: League Two action will return to the Abbey Stadium this season

LEAGUE TWO FIXTURES

SATURDAY (all 3pm)

Accrington Stanley vs Southend United

AFC Wimbledon vs Shrewsbury Town

Bury vs Cheltenham Town

Cambridge United vs Plymouth Argyle

Carlisle United vs Luton Town

Dagenham and Redbridge vs Morecambe

Exeter City vs Portsmouth

Newport County vs Wycombe Wanderers

Northampton Town vs Mansfield Town

Oxford United vs Burton Albion

Stevenage Borough vs Hartlepool United

Tranmere Rovers vs York City

The Abbey will be packed and rocking on Saturday when they welcome Plymouth Argyle and manager Richard Money claims those who are quick to tip them for relegation straight back will only be used as motivation.

In their favour is the fact that every club promoted to the League from the Conference since 1987 has enjoyed more than one season there.

Money, an unused substitute when Liverpool won the European Cup in 1981, hopes to take full advantage of the fact Cambridge are an unknown quantity.

Plymouth, who finished 10th last season, are confident of taking the next step and mounting a promotion bid this time.

Argyle have done well to bring through academy products and seven of their 22-man squad learned their trade with the club.

Carlisle United vs Luton Town, Sky Bet League Two, Saturday 3pm

Luton fans probably wouldn't have chosen a 550-mile round trip to mark their first match back in the Football League in five years, but the fixture computer has sent them to Carlisle on the opening day.

But after so long away, and buoyed by their dominance of the Conference last season - they won the title by 19 points - that will matter little to the hundreds heading up to Cumbria.

They will be encouraged by the likes of Crawley Town and Stevenage Borough shooting straight through this division and into League One in the recent past.

Runaway champions: Luton Town celebrate winning the Conference last season by a 19-point margin

They have been bruised by the departure of 30-goal striker Andre Gray to Brentford but perhaps there was a sense of inevitability about such a hotshot striker being picked up by a higher level club.

Carlisle, who dropped back to this level for the first time in nine seasons, kept faith in manager Graham Kavanagh but he will be under pressure to have them up among the pace-setters throughout the season.

Vanarama Football Conference opening day

Action in the Vanarama Conference also gets underway this Saturday, with the choice fixture coming at the Memorial Stadium between two of the title favourites.

Bristol Rovers, who dropped out of League Two on the final day of last season, are odds-on to come straight back up and they host Grimsby Town, who lost to Gateshead in the play-off semi-finals (12.45pm, BT Sport 1).

The other relegated club, Torquay United, make the very long trip to Gateshead, who made it to Wembley in the play-offs.